


You'll Love Again

by Birdfluff



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Trans Rhys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 12:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20706164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdfluff/pseuds/Birdfluff
Summary: It had been a decade since Sasha broke up with Rhys and since then he had sworn off relationships. Rhys consults Zane after realizing he's discovered love again and it's with his best bro, Vaughn.(Takes place after Eden-6's vault)





	You'll Love Again

“I think I’ll always miss Sasha.”

“That’s a pretty normal thing to admit, boyo. You never forget your first love.”

“Actually, my first official relationship was with Stacy and she was a bitch. Yvette warned me about her, but did I listen? No.”

“I’m guessin’ she was a Hyperion girl, eh?”

“Yup, biggest mistake of my life. The only good thing Hyperion gave me are these.” Rhys flexed his cybernetic arm as his ECHOeye glowed. “Atlas does it better though… Anyway…” 

A long silence lapse until Zane prompted, “Anyway?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah...”

“Rhys. I know you didn’t call me down here just talk about past relationships, did you?”

“N-no. I mean. Kind of? I’m gearing up to ask something… kind of stupid.”

“Aw, you got a crush on me?”

“You wish. No, I’ve got a crush on someone else.”

Zane slowly nodded. “Ahhhh, and you want old man Zane to give you a word of wisdom, eh?”

“It’s not like any of the other Vault Hunters are that much help with this… Trust me, I’ve asked.”

“So I’m your last shot?”

“Pretty much. And to be honest, I was saving you for last because I knew you’d have the answer I need… I-I-I just wanted to give the others a chance.”

Zane raised a knowing eyebrow. “Right and not because--”

“Don’t finish that thought.”

Zane barked with laughter, nearly spilling his drink. “Sorry, boyo, this is hilarious. The CEO of Atlas is asking Zane Flynt, an assassin, for love advice. You don’t have anything better to do?”

“This might be the only shot I have, Zane. I don’t want to mess this up.”

His expression instantly transitioned from jovial to solemn in a heartbeat. “I gotcha, brother. War is a time sensitive thing. Who do you wannta confess to? Is it that Lorelei girl?”

“Oh, geez no, she’s… She scares me more than anything and I’m just glad that she’s on my side.”

“Amen to that.” He took a swing.

Rhys took a deep breath, “Hoooookay. You ever… thought you had a crush on someone who was your best friend, but you push it away because you thought it was like a, uh… you thought it was just because you liked them as a friend? You know what I mean? Like you’re crushing on him-- THEM but you can’t tell if it’s because you like being friends or that they’re nice or kind of hot--” Rhys flushed, when he noticed the Vault Hunter’s smug grin. “You know who I’m talking about, right?”

“I’ve got an idea.” After finishing his beer, Zane gestured towards Moxxi for a refill and faced the CEO. “I imagine it’s worse for you since you don’t know if he swings that way.”

“He’s never been interested in girls! Believe me, I’ve tried to hook him up with those nerdy girls in high school for four years. Have you seen nerdy people flirt? Everything flew right over his head. Not a whole lot of people wanted to talk to him during college either. I was his only friend during that time in our lives. That’s when a lot of confusing things happened.”

“Uh, aren’t you one of those nerdy people too?”

“... Well, yeah, I’m not exactly amazing at flirting either. Why do you think I’m talking to you right now?”

“You think I’m better?” Zane put a hand to his chest. “I’m flattered!”

Rhys wiped his face. “I need help.”

“So, you’ve fallen in love with your best friend that you haven’t seen in ages, yea?”

“I think I’ve always liked him. It’s just now hitting me like a freakin’ bus. Because have you SEEN him? Cause I tell you, he did not look like that when we were in Helios together. He was skinnier than me and was weirdly buff and now he’s filled out and super buff and _god!_” Rhys reached over to drink from his glass but then promptly set it back down when he remembered the first sip that he spat back into the cup. “And he hasn’t changed at all! He’s still my little bro whose smiling all the time. Did you see how happy he got when he saw me? I thought I was going to die.”

“You did seem to really enjoy that hug.”

“Shut. Up. None of this goes to Vaughn, or I will send Zer0 after you. This is between us.”

“I wasn’t even thinking of it.” Zane said with a smirk. “So what are you going to do about this little crush on Vaughn?”

“SHHHHHHshhshshshshshhhhhhh! That’s why I ask you here!” Rhys hissed and looked over his shoulder towards the Sanctuary’s hub floor. “I need flirting advice.”

“But you know Vaughn better than anyone else on this ship.”

“I know that! I-I just don’t know a way to get through to him that I’m… into him. And not just for the pecs… That’s like a bonus. A really nice bonus. Oh god, I have it bad.”

“Have you tried being honest with him? I know I look nothing like him but what would you say to him right now if he was sitting where I am right now.”

Rhys froze in place, staring at the Vault Hunter. “D… do you… do you wanna put your mmmmouth on my mmouthhhh-uh?”

“Okay.” Zane bit back a laugh. “That was good, direct and honest but you came out way too strong and you were stuttering. He’ll probably think you’re drunk if you said that to him like that.”

“Yeaaah… I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m kind of a mess when it comes to relationships. I usually have a wingman, you know? Vaughn was the best wingman.”

“You need a wingman for your wingman, huh? Haha! I’m josslin’ ya, brother. You’ll get by.” He reassured by patting his shoulder and he took a swing from his newly filled glass. “Start with a date idea. You two haven’t seen each other in ages, don’t be afraid to go slow with him.”

“How would I do that?”

“Ask him about his favorite spot in Pandora and go from there.”

“That’s... That’s a good idea, Zane.”

“Thank yah.”

“I… I think I’m going to try that. I think he’s downstairs with Ellie, right now.” He hopped down from the stool then quickly whirled around. “A-are you busy?”

“You want me to make sure you don’t screw up?”

His fingers fidgeted with each other. “Y-yeah.”

“Aye, I can do that.”

Zane followed Rhys down the ramp and came up on him when he stopped at the stairs. Zane looked over his shoulder to see that he was staring at the little bandit king, who was having a hearty conversation with Ellie by the sound of his giddy laughter. The Vault Hunter glanced at Rhys and smiled at his lovestruck expression as his body leaned against the doorframe.

“You know that could be you down there if you would just move your arse.” Zane said with a push to his back.

Rhys stumbled forward, squealing in surprise. He backed away from the steps. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can.”

“What if he’s not into it?”

“You know how you find out? By askin’. So stop stallin’!”

Rhys swallowed hard. His normal hand trembled as it ran through his hair. “What am I asking again?”

“On a date, boyo. His favorite spot on Pandora. Saying hi and then following up with a question with little explanation is a bit weird. Here, why don’t you start off with something that’s not just a hello.”

“Okay?”

“Vaughn likes getting complimented on his beautifully toned abs. You think you can do that?”

“I already said some really stupid stuff about his body when I first SAW Vaughn, Zane. That’s not going to help me.”

“Now’s your time to fix it, boyo. Go on. I’ll be right here. Just give me a signal if you’re stuck.”

Rhys let out a hard exhale. “Oooooookay. I can do this. I--- I can do this.”

“Right you are.”

“It’s just Vaughn. My best bro in the whole wide world. He’s-- he’s gotta say yes.”

“Mmhm.”

“Hhhhhere I go...” He stood there.

“I will push you down those stairs, Rhys.”

“I’m going! Jeez! You’re worse than Fiona.” Finally leaving his side, Rhys felt his heart penetrate his chest with every step he took. He has asked girls out before. This should not be any different, except it was. It was Vaughn. It felt wrong and right at the same time. He was terrified to ruin what they already had, despite the lapse decade. He was too busy to call him up until now. Rhys cannot afford to screw this up.

“Howdy, you!”

Rhys definitely did not make a high pitched yell when he was shoved out of his thoughts. He quickly cleared his throat and desperate tried to ignore both Ellie and Vaughn’s concerned countenances. “Hhhheyyyy, guys. Uhh, Elliieee, could I steal Vaughn away from you for a second?”

Ellie shrugged. “Steal him away, I’ve got to get back to workin’. I’ll see you later, studmuffin. Ah-wink.”

Rhys watched her flirting fly straight over Vaughn’s head, who waved her off. “Buh-bye!” His smile took the air out of his lungs. “What’s up, Rhys?”

“Ahhhuh… Ahem, uh, _yo_.”

“Hi!”

He could Zane slap his hand onto his forehead. “I’ve, uh, missed you, man. I’m sorry that we never got to talk after I got onto Promethea. It got, ah… pretty busy. I-I hope you’re not mad at me for that.”

“What? Why would I be mad at you? You’re living your dream, bro. I can’t be mad at that.”

“Yeah, you’ve clearly been living yours too. You look… Man, you look good.”

Vaughn burst into a fit of giggles, swaying a little. “I knoooww, hehehehe. Thaaaanks. You’re not so bad yourself. I’m digging the mustache.”

Rhys straightened up. “R-really?”

“Hell yeah, bro. It looks great on you! You look like a real man-- No-not that you didn’t look like one before…! Oh no, I shouldn’t have said it like that.”

His face flushed. “N-no, I-I get what you mean, man. I… I appreciate that. It’s kind of why I grew one to be honest. Not that I was getting misgendered that often but it was more for… you know, me to see how far I’ve come, you know?”

“Yeah, I totes get that. Seriously, you look good, Rhys. Handsome, even!”

“You’re just saying that.”

“Nooo, I mean iiit. You know I doooo.”

“Heheh, you haven’t changed at all, Vaughn.”

“Neither of you. Honestly, it’s kind of comforting after all that’s been going on. Some consistency is nice.”

“I, I completely agree with you. I’ve missed you, man.”

“I’ve missed you too, bro. It’s kind of like old times, am I right? Being brought together to stop the bad guys from winning while we gather Vault keys.”

“Yeah. I’m just glad they’re not in my head this time.”

“I think we all are… You okay?”

Rhys blinked at his odd shift in tone. “Yeah, man, I’ve recovered. The nightmares aren’t as bad anymore.”

“That’s good!” He looked like he wanted to say something but he carried on before Rhys had the chance to say anything. “I’ve been a little worried. Not that much, but you know, the right amount of worry, because you going off by yourself to build up Atlas was a big deal! I’m glad that you made it out okay with the whole merger thing.”

“You and me both. The Vault Hunters are pretty cool.”

“Yes, they are.”

“They met you on Pandora right?”

“Where else would they have met me?”

Rhys inhaled, desiring to punch himself. “Yea-ye--you... You’re right. I’m trying to… transition into a question.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay. Um. I’m sure you’ve got your favorite places and everything, being on Pandora for ten years gives you a lot of time to explore, right? You think you could show me around sometime?”

His heart galloped a mile a second at how brightly Vaughn’s face lit up. His eyes glittered with excitement. “You’d make time for me?”

That was debatable but Rhys didn’t care at the moment. “Of course, bro. Gotta make up for lost time, am I right?”

“A-absolutely. Y-yeah! Maybe when the war’s over since the Calypsos are still running wild down there, if we win.”

“That’s probably for the best. I mean, I hope we win.” Rhys adjusted his tie. “I’ll be looking forward to it with my main man Vaughn.”

With a happy whine, Vaughn ran full force into him, giving him a firm embrace and knocking the wind out of him. Rhys was not expecting him to be that strong despite the rippling muscles. And they were definitely touching him through his clothes. Rhys returned the hug and tried to squeeze him as just as tightly. He didn’t smell so great either, but that was only added to the list of things Rhys didn’t care about, even though he was going to have a sneezing fit later. He felt so warm and he could feel his muscular back through his cape. Rhys found himself thinking about feeling every inch of Vaughn’s body. Just to feel it! Nothing sexual about that. There was nothing gay about wanting to feel his best bro’s muscles, right? Yeah, no, Rhys was definitely bisexual, because he noticed his cybernetic hand taking the initivate and getting closer to copping a feel.

“Uh, Rhys...?”

Pulling away fast, Rhys broke into nervous laughter as he held his arm. He began backing away towards the stairs. “Man! Uh! Boy, do I need to recalibrate this stupid thing. I am-- so sorry about that. I’m gonna… go. Now… Bye.”

The CEO booked it up to the platform where Zane was waiting for him and he nearly ran into the wall with his continued momentum. He didn’t have to look at the Vault Hunter to know that he was disappointed. 

“Boyo.”

“Yeah! I know! I screwed up! My arm isn’t exactly perfect. It does that when I think too hard… and it acts on it. He’s not going to take me up on that date, is he?”

“I wouldn’t if I were him, but that doesn’t mean anything. You two were huggin’ for a while there.”

“It didn’t feel like that long.”

“You both stood like that for about three minutes. From here, it looked like he didn’t want to let you go while you were up in la la land.”

“I’m a disaster.” Rhys moaned in self pity, his head in his hands.

“You want a drink? One that you won’t spit out this time?”

“No. The drinks at Promethea are better than the ones here. A, a, a, and I’m not going to wallow in alcohol. I’m going to wallow… in my office… by myself. I’ll, uh, see you later, Zane.”

“Don’t let it eat you alive, boyo.”

“Yeah, I’ll try. Thanks for trying to help me. I’ll make it up to you later.”

Right as Rhys left through the automatic door, Vaughn suddenly stumbled into the room, panting slightly. For a moment, he looked surprised to see the Vault Hunter standing there. “Oh--! Uh, hey, bro. Did you see Rhys come through here?”

“Yeah, he just left.”

“D-did he say where he was going?”

“Said he was going back to Promethea.”

He could see the panic in his eyes that he was trying to hide behind a smile. “Ah, thanks, bro. How long ago was that exactly?”

“If you want to catch him, I’d stop asking questions, boyo.” Zane said with a cheeky grin.

“He’s still here? Okay, thank you! Thanks! Thank you!” Vaughn scurried out the door and ran with a long gait towards the back of the ship. He could see the CEO way ahead of him, about to touch the Fast Travel System. His shreech came from the back of his throat. “Rhys, wait!”

Whirling around, Rhys clasped his hands and his fingers fumbled with each other once again as Vaughn caught up with him. For a moment, they stared at each other, waiting expectantly. 

Vaughn finally broke the silence. “D-don’t go yet… I-I need to talk to you about something an-an-and if we don’t talk about it right now, we’re not going to have the chance again.”

“That sounds serious, man.” Rhys may sound like nothing was wrong on his end, but his heart was definitely on the fritz. “What’s going on? You don’t look so good.”

“It--it needs to be in private. Come with me.” Vaughn urged him into one of the extra rooms nearby and shut the door behind them. This was the room Lilith gave him on the ship. It was temporary and Vaughn refused to use the shower, but it was cozy enough to his standards, sans the lack of rocks pillows and dirt blankets. This room was the opposite of what Rhys looked like right now, which was an unbridled mess. He recognized his nervous ticks immediately but had no way to soothe him. Vaughn ran his fingers through his hair. “Rhys, about before...”

“Okay, you got me!” Rhys blurted out, “I lied! It doesn’t need to be recalibrated! But I wasn’t trying to touch you like that. I was thinking about a lot of things and my arm kind of reacts to that more. I’m REALLY sorry, okay?! It’s got a mind of its own sometimes.”

“... What were you thinking about?”

Rhys looked everywhere but at him. “Oh--haha, you know. Stuff. CEO things.”

“Rhys, you can be honest. I want you to be honest here. It’s just me.”

There was something in his tone that Rhys was having trouble grasping. It was his ‘I know you more than you know yourself’ tone but there was something else that was making him eerily uncomfortable. Rhys rubbed his arm. “I can’t say it. You might take it the wrong way.”

“That hasn’t stopped you before? You kind have the habit of blurting things out.”

“No, you don’t understand. If I say it now, it’s going to ruin us. I know it is.”

“Ruin us...?”

“What we have here. I-I know I haven’t seen you in a long time but I still thought we were close. I don’t want to ruin what we already have by saying I… Oh, god, I almost said it.”

“Say it.”

Rhys put his hands over his mouth and shook his head with a firm hum.

Vaughn took a step towards him, his hands uselessly gesturing. “Rhys, this is going to haunt me forever if you don’t say it. Did I do something wrong?”

“No! God, no! You’ve done nothing wrong! If anything you did so many things right and I love you for that--!” His jaw clamped shut and he stared in horror. “Noooo! I said it! Shit! Why am I so bad at this?!”

“W-wait, like, love me in what way…?” There it was again. “Like love me cause we’re bros, or...?”

“N-nooooo? Like… way more than that. I think I’ve always loved you. I’ve just… I’ve just been too much of a coward to say anything about it. Actually, I thought it was just another guy crush I had, you know, like, the weird ones you get on your friends sometimes because you feel lucky to have them. You know what I mean? Except it kept coming back and I kept pushing it away. I didn’t think I could be falling in love with my best friend, right? How crazy would that be? I kept thinking that for years.” He sighed, “And then I got lonely. You wouldn’t think I would. I thought I had everything I wanted on Promethea... and then I got to thinking about you a lot and seeing you right now. You haven’t changed a bit and yet you’ve changed so much. And I wish I could have seen that transition.”

His legs felt like jelly. His belly felt hot and heavy as if someone poured hot lead into his mouth. Vaughn stared at him in frustrated awe. “Why didn’t you say that to me before you left?”

Rhys shivered at his awful glare. “What do you mean? I never thought about this before leaving. Sasha just broke up with me then! You know how much crap I was dealing with. You were there supporting me.”

“You told me you were done with falling in love and _now_ you’re telling me that you’ve been in love with me for years and you were just keeping that to yourself for the next decade!?”

“V-vaughn? Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not okay!” He blinked back his tears as he wiped his face. “Damn, Rhys. I’ve been in love with you for so long…! And you tell me that you love me back after I finally buried it, because I knew I would never have a chance with you?! God, I hate you so much right now!”

Stunned, Rhys stumbled to keep his balance. “Wa-wait wait, you--? What do you mean you buried it?”

“Not to sound overly dramatic-- no, I take that back. I want to be dramatic right now because of how validated I feel. I _died_ that day! I always knew I would never have a shot with you. We were just bros! And I was okay with that! You know why?! Because I’m selfish! I watched you fall in love with Sasha and I didn’t do anything but support you because that’s what friends do! But guess what-- I was dying inside. No matter what I did to stop it or push aside, it was still there and I know I’m a terrible person for thinking that. I didn’t hate her. I thought you two were even cute together but… I kept thinking ‘oh here it is! I’m finally getting replaced.’ I’m so selfish.”   
He cried out with a hard laugh. “You have no idea how happy I was when she broke up with you. I hit my head so many times for thinking that. Then you tell me you were done with love. That you couldn’t take rejection anymore… that you couldn’t have time for it while you were rebuilding Atlas… and I supported you. I wanted you above anything, to be happy.”   
He heaved a shaky breath. “I’m not going to make you happy, Rhys. I gave up on you a long time ago. So I tried to fill the void, you know? Pretending to like girls so I can forget about you. Making that so clear but I… everyone knows it’s forced. Nothing is the same anymore, except me. I’m still selfish and I can’t stop thinking about you and what you did to me.”

There was too much silence between them that Vaughn suddenly realized that he said too much. He bundled up the courage to look at Rhys in the eyes. They were fragile and small and shaking and it punched him in the gut. He felt nauseous. All that rage bubbling up for a solid decade that he thought he extinguish slapped his best friend in the face. He didn’t deserve that. None of what he did was on purpose.

“R-rhys,” He tried to backtrack, “I-- I’m s--”

“So…” Rhys finally spoke, “You don’t love me anymore?”

Vaughn lowered his gaze.

“I see...” A painful laugh tickled his throat, which broke Vaughn’s already shattered heart. “I should have guessed. We had each other all throughout childhood up to Hyperion. I should have guessed you didn’t have a thing for girls and I should have been more open with you… But that’s my fault. Thank you for saying all that, Vaughn. Seriously. I think we both know that I’m trash when it comes to keeping and starting relationships. I can never say the right thing. I can never… satisfying anyone. Sometimes, that’s a good thing, like with Stacy. All those flings in highschool and college that I never told you about. I think it’s good...”   
The tears fell like a faucet ready to burst. His pained smile was killing Vaughn inside. “That you fell out of love with me. I wouldn’t make you happy either. I’m too… I don’t communicate well and I’m unreliable. You’d know that since we haven’t talked since I last saw you on Pandora. Haha! Man! I’m so stupid. I hate me too.”  
Although he was very clogged up, he inhaled deeply. “Y-you don’t have to take me up on visiting Pandora, Vaughn. Once this war is won, I’ll be out of your hair for good. Deal?” He put out his fist.

Vaughn immediately stepped back. “No! That’s not what I wanted.”

“Oh. Ha…” He looked to his fist and then spread his arms out. “Well, uh, y-you wanna punch me? Because I definitely deserve that right now.”

“No, you don’t! Nothing you did was on purpose!”

“I can punch myself if y--”

“Shut up, Rhys!” After catching his breath, Vaughn struggled to press on. His mouth was drier than a skag’s ass. His head was lighter than air. He felt dizzy. 

Rhys was watching him with his mouth slightly parted and his hands gripped his shirt. His voice was barely above a whisper. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No!” His voice came out as a shrill. “I don’t want to lose you again! I thought you forgot about me a-and I know now that you didn’t, but… God, whenever I look at you, those old feelings bubble up again and I... I can't take it anymore. I want you so bad and I don’t know what to do about it. I feel like a piece of shit! I shouldn’t even be saying this. T-tell me to shut up, Rhys. Please. I’m just going to hurt you even more. Wh-why aren’t you saying anything? I insulted you. I hurt you! I’m yelling at you and I know that’s setting you off, fuck I’m so sorry. Goddammit, Rhys, I love you. I want you to touch me like that again. I want to go back to the old days, where it was just us and start over. What am I saying…?" He yelled, “Tell me to stop already! You don’t want this!”

“I don’t care if you’re selfish, Vaughn.” His voice quivered as he spoke. Slowly, hesitantly, he closed the space between them. “Do you mean that? You’re still in love with someone like me?”

“Yes… God, Rhys, _yes_. It-it’s unhealthy, it’s stupid, but, shit, I want to give you a second chance-- or, man, we never really had a relationship like that to begin with so it would be a first chance, wouldn’t it?”

“But why?”

“Because… I’m selfish?”

“Vaughn, you already have me all to yourself.”

“I’m selfish because I keep thinking that we can make it work, because… Because I think this will be different, because I _know_ you. I know you better than anyone on this ship. I-I-I thought I knew you and I don’t. I’m hurting you...”

“Vaughn.” Rhys risked putting his hand on his chin and raising it so that he could look into his tearstained eyes. “You do know me… We just have to start over. I-I know I said I was done but that was ten years ago, and I like to think I’ve learned a lot since then… I really think I’m ready to try again-- with you. If you are, if you’ll have me.” Rhys carefully interlaced his fingers around his hand. “A-and we’ll go as slow as you want.”

Vaughn couldn’t blink back the tears anymore. "I am. Oh my _god_, yes... I want to kiss you so bad."

"Do it."

Vaughn pulled him by his tie and, automatically, Rhys melted into his touch. Whining hopelessly into his mouth, Rhys failed to pace himself and was eagerly feeling every part of him from his chest to his thighs and Vaughn was drinking it up hungrily that his moans were possibly becoming problematic for the few citizens of Sanctuary outside of the door… Then his neck and back began to ache from trying to meet Rhys’ height. Pulling away, Rhys followed after his lips and wrapped his arms around his waist, whining and softly kissing his jawline, “Vaaaaauuughnnnnnuh. Love meeeeee.” 

Vaughn fell into laughter at his thirst. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this here, Rhys, since, uh… that teddy bear thing can probably hear everything.”

“Damn straight, you horny humans. Take that shit somewhere else.” BALEX said through the intercom.

“Rrrright…” Rhys managed to tear himself away from him. “Good thing I know the perfect place. Come on.”

Taking his hand, Rhys guided him out of the room and towards the Fast Travel Station where Vaughn watched him input Atlas HQ.

His eyes widen. “Y-you’re taking me to Promethea? Right now? Are you sure? Y-you’re still trying to recover from Maliwan, aren’t you?”

The CEO smiled the most perfectly sweet smile he had ever seen. “Let me show you the world I built.”

Vaughn blinked and found himself looking out onto Promethea through giant glass windows. He could see the lights of Meridian Metroplex shine so colorfully and bright like it was the sky itself. He pressed his hands against the glass to try to get a better look. “_Rhys_, holy shit! You guys are working so fast. That’s amazing. This is beautiful, bro…!”

“You know what else is beautiful?”

Vaughn snorted. “Are you going to say that I’m beautiful?”

“No, I was going to talk about myself and my perfect mustache, but you’re a close second-- Of COURSE, I was going to say that you’re beautiful!”

The two were collectively absorbed into each other contagious laughter until Vaughn finally breathed. “God, I’ve missed you so much.”

Then something caught his eye. A picture frame sat on his desk of a familiar face he recognized instantly. He watched as Rhys’ face become whiter than white.

“It-it’s not what you think…! I-I moved on, I swear--”

For some reason, Vaughn’s first reaction wasn’t why it wasn’t himself in that frame. It was sympathy. He playfully nudged Rhys with his elbow. “Bro. It’s okay to miss someone. Believe me, I know. I’ve kind of kept your old Hyperion arm for a while now and done…” He stopped himself. “Uh, unspeakable things with it.”

“You totally slept with it, didn’t you?”

Vaughn punched his metal arm.

“Ow.” 

“That hurt me more than it hurt you, bro.”

“Still.” He smiled. “I deserved that.”

“Yeah, you did.” He stood up on his toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I really like your place, Rhys. Rustic. You’ve even got the water features down pat! You can tell the CEO of Atlas aspires to make people comfortable here. Nothing like Hyperion.”

Rhys proudly beamed, happily swaying slightly. “Yeee. Fuck Hyperion.”

“Fuck Hyperion.” Vaughn agreed. “You don’t actually read all those books, do you?”

“Ehhh, they’re more for clients and people who have to sit here for hours while they wait for me.”

“What’s that door go to?” He pointed past the elevator.

“That goes to pleasureville, population us with one very comfortable bed and your boxers on the floor.”

Vaughn blinked, gawking at him in awe. “Rhys. Holy shit.”

“Okay, Imma be honest. I’m just as surprised as you are that I somehow didn’t stumble through that. Am I shaking? I think I’m shaking. Oh my god, I wasn’t a screw up for once. Aw man, I have tears in my eyes.”

Vaughn slowly took his hands into his own, his face lined with worry. “You’re a CEO of Atlas, Rhys. You can’t say that.”

“Vaughn, I know me.” He said with a laughing smile. “You’ve heard anyone we’ve met tell me that at some point. That’s why we’re both here… right? You’re encouraging me to go on and believe that I won’t mess this up for both of us. I want to go through with this, I really do, but...”

“Rhys, a screw up wouldn’t be able to build up a corporation from scratch. A screw up wouldn’t have soldiers who rely on you to tell them what to do. A screw up would have let the Maliwan merger happen. You just proved everyone wrong. You proved Hyperion wrong. Hell, you proved Handsome Jack wrong!”

“That was the Vault Hunters, Vaughn, not me. Sure, I made this from ash and broken glass but I wouldn’t have survived the merger if it wasn’t for them. But I don’t care about the past, Vaughn. I care about this moment. I care about you… I just want to know if we’re making the right choice.”

Vaughn carefully placed his hands onto his face, bringing him closer to his height. “... Let’s find out.”

After colliding with his lips once more, neither of them were able to quit touching each other while making their way to Rhys’ quarters. Vaughn already managed to rip off his vest and tie and was now struggling with the buttons on his shirt as Rhys tore off his cape. Vaughn showed primal aggression in his movements and Rhys was loving it. He shoved his whole body into Rhys and onto the glass aquarium with a loud thud. The pain was the satisfying bitter to the sweet Vaughn was doing inside his mouth. Numb to the pain, Rhys was starting to not care whether or not they were going to make it into the bedroom. In fact, he was inviting Vaughn to fuck him against the glass by moving the RedBar undies down to his thighs and feeling him up in newer intimate places, which made his legs buckle and gave him pause to groan. Anxiety still had his heart in its clutches, worried about rubbing him too fast or too slow or not enough. The fear of screwing this up vanished the moment Rhys felt his back crash into his mattress, and he ogled at Vaughn, climbing on top of him. His face shared the same nervousness he felt in his stomach.

His voice was tender and soft, as his eyes roamed up his body that was covered with hair from his groin to his chest. “Ssss-sso, uh… ho-how does this work?”

The tense nature dissipated when the two broke into another set of giggles. Eventually, Rhys managed to cough out. “I have no idea, but I-I’m sure we’ll figure it out. Right now, I just want to cuddle you and love your cute face.”

“I like cuddles.” Vaughn cackled, settling himself down upon him as Rhys put his hands into his hair and kissed him.

“And you’re _clearly_ excited.”

“Well, this is kind of playing a part in that.” His fingers tangled the small hairs along Rhys’ chest which made him squirm a little from how it tickled.

“You like it?”

“I love it. It’s very becoming of you.”

“Vaaaaughn.” Rhys moaned with giddy, giving him a squeeze. “You’re so sweeet. I love you, bro.”

“I love you more, bro.”

“Impossible, my love for you is bigger than a googolplex.”

“Oh, you want to talk numbers? Because we can definitely talk numbers.”

“Talk numbers to me, sexy.”

“Oh my _god_, Rhys, I love you.”


End file.
